Providing assistance to the most vulnerable members of society is important for a variety of reasons, and is also a feat that can be achieved more easily with the aid of various modern tech solutions.
This is significant because while charity work is generally seen as an area in which the human-facing aspects of organizations are at the top of the agenda, digital services are still having a major impact.
To bring you up to speed, here is an overview of the different ways in which technology is leaving its mark on the vital duty of helping vulnerable individuals and communities.
Software is streamlining workflows & cutting costs
Non-profits are under more pressure than most to minimize the expense of various everyday facets of their operations, and it is in the wrangling of fundamental yet often frustrating administrative duties that cutting edge tech has a part to play.
For example, software designed to catalyze non-profit case management is empowering charities of all sizes to better handle the workflows they rely upon to provide care and support to their most vulnerable service users.
This is not just about allowing employees to be more efficient in their daily tasks, but also about ensuring that every individual they interact with is treated with the same care and attention, eliminating human error from the equation and automating tedious and time-consuming administrative activities as streamlining accelerates proceedings.
Mobile connectivity & social media make sharing information easier
One of the biggest issues in bygone eras was that vulnerable communities in poorer parts of the world were not just financially disadvantaged compared with their counterparts in developed nations, but were also impoverished because of their lack of access to reliable, consistent and up to date sources of information.
The prohibitive costs of rolling out fixed line internet access were once a barrier, but in the mobile-first era this has been turned on its head. Now non-profits can not only connect with isolated communities directly by providing updates via SMS, but can also make use of social media and other online resources to share information wirelessly.
On the other side of the coin, fundraising through mobile campaigns has also become a huge part of many non-profits’ strategies for accessing the cash they need. It has proven simpler to encourage donations via SMS and social media alike, rather than focusing on more traditional tactics.
Digital payment services overcome the limits of cash
As technology has become more affordable and egalitarian in the aforementioned mobile-centric era we now inhabit, providing aid and assistance to those in need has further been facilitated as a result of a move away from cash.
Rather than having to rely on cash payments or necessarily expect people to have bank accounts in order to receive aid, modern non-profits can instead turn to a variety of different digital payment platforms in order to achieve this without the usual administrative barriers.
These services have also made it a breeze for individuals to exchange funds over long distances, all with minimal to no additional costs to bear, which allows for a more personal approach to protecting the most fragile parts of society.
Offering online learning unlocks untapped potential
Finally, it is worth noting that the playing field has been leveled when it comes to education thanks to technology, as freely available online courses can be taken by people worldwide, with even the most basic devices affording access to resources that help to expand the horizons of the previously overlooked.
All of this comes down to the idea that technology can build a better future for every person on the planet, and non-profit organizations are spearheading this push.